These are the rants and raves of a stubborn-headed, midwestern, baby boomer, liberal, wife, mother, and grandmother. My goals are to speak my mind and educate others about some of the events in our world.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Yahoo: Rudy Giuliani made a simple case for his presidential candidacy Saturday to a national convention of Republican women: He's not Hillary Clinton......"We have a record that's very, very proud and very long of making certain that women participate on a full and complete and equal basis with men," he said.

Giuliani clearly disrespects women. After his divorces, public affair with Judy Nathanson (now Giuliani), he obviously does not honor vows or truthfulness.

Here is something about Giuliani from the LA Times:......Still, Giuliani's family baggage is laced with the foibles that one would expect to play poorly with Republican women. Giuliani riveted New York City when, while still mayor, he announced during a 2000 news conference that his second marriage was over -- before telling his then-wife, Donna Hanover. Hanover later asked a judge to bar Giuliani from bringing his girlfriend (and now wife) to the New York mayor's official residence, Gracie Mansion, while the family still lived there.

The four leading Republican candidates for president can probably get away with snubbing a minority-issues debate in Baltimore as they did this week, since the quest for the GOP nomination is likely to be decided in states such as New Hampshire and Iowa, where black Republicans are few and far between.

But one of the four - Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Mitt Romney or Fred Thompson - is likely to win that nomination. And when they get to key states such as Ohio in the general election, they may find it is minority voters - blacks and Latinos - who are doing the snubbing.

"They are being foolish," Christopher Smitherman, president of the Cincinnati branch of the NAACP, said of the GOP no-shows. "It's a serious mistake not to reach out to everyone. How can African-Americans judge them and their ideas if they don't speak to us?"

They are indeed foolish.

*** Someone should ask Judy Giuliani how many dogs she killed when she demonstrated surgical products in her job for U.S. Surgical Corp. (LINK) Is there someone in the media gutsy enough to ask her the question?

Did you know that Rudy Giuliani thinks his 3rd wife, Judy, is a bio-terrorism expert? You Tube has the video here.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Rush Limbaugh is an idiot. Of course, we already knew that. Here is the latest from the mouth of Limbaugh:(Media Matters)

During the September 26 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh called service members who advocate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq "phony soldiers." He made the comment while discussing with a caller a conversation he had with a previous caller, "Mike from Chicago," who said he "used to be military," and "believe[s] that we should pull out of Iraq." Limbaugh told the second caller, whom he identified as "Mike, this one from Olympia, Washington," that "[t]here's a lot" that people who favor U.S. withdrawal "don't understand" and that when asked why the United States should pull out, their only answer is, " 'Well, we just gotta bring the troops home.' ... 'Save the -- keeps the troops safe' or whatever," adding, "[I]t's not possible, intellectually, to follow these people." "Mike" from Olympia replied, "No, it's not, and what's really funny is, they never talk to real soldiers. They like to pull these soldiers that come up out of the blue and talk to the media." Limbaugh interjected, "The phony soldiers." The caller, who had earlier said, "I am a serving American military, in the Army," agreed, replying, "The phony soldiers."

Limbaugh, who never served in the military because of a cyst on his ass, thinks he knows all about being in the military. What Limbaugh doesn't realize is that people are losing real lives even though Bush had phony reason for a war in Iraq.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Thinking about buying a book? Skip the Jenna Bush one.USA Today:...The book is easy to read. It's divided into 102 chapters, some as short as two sentences, and is illustrated with 49 subtle photographs by UNICEF intern Mia Baxter..........The format is an awkward hybrid: not quite an "as-told-to" story but written in the third person. Ana's voice rarely punches through.....

If you really want a good book, keep reading.

> Republican Sen. Larry Craig still hasn't resigned. Huffington Post:Moments ago, the Senate voted 60-39 to end debate on the Matthew Shepard Act, which expands federal hate crimes laws to include violence based on a victim's sexual orientation, gender, disability, and other factors..... .....Notably, Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) voted against the legislation.

A congressional investigation has found Blackwater USA at fault on multiple levels in the infamous 2004 Fallujah convoy ambush in which four of its operatives were killed by Iraqi insurgents.

The report, issued Thursday, also accuses Blackwater of repeated efforts to stonewall the investigation, even defying a congressional subpoena at one point.

The release comes at a time when the Moyock, N.C.-based private military company is already facing unprecedented scrutiny because of a Sept. 16 shooting incident involving Blackwater contractors in Baghdad in which at least 11 Iraqis died.....

Blackwater, by the way, has funded James Dobson's group. They contribute money primarily to Republicans and are working as a private army. If you want more information, read Jeremy Scahill's book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

* There is an outbreak of cholera in Iraq, according to Relief Web. Several deaths have been reported in various regions in Iraq. Has the American media been told not to report this?

* Republican Sen. David Vitter, the right winger with an appetite for prostitutes, has been up to no good.Raw Story: In a move ostensibly aimed at providing "better science education" in Louisiana schools, Sen. David Vitter has secured $100,000 in taxpayer dollars to fund an anti-evolution effort spearheaded by a religious group politically connected to the alleged prostitute-soliciting Republican.....

Are Vitter's right wing religious supporters willing to forgive him as long as he is able to get them stuff? Isn't anyone asking if Vitter's propensity for hookers goes against the "family values" of the right wing?

* Has Republican Sen. Larry Craig resigned yet? If I were a man, I would not walk into the same public restroom with him.

* With almost 3800 Americans killed and over 27,000 wounded in Iraq, when will Republicans support a withdrawal bill? Are they waiting until there have been 10,000 Americans killed? Why do Republicans continue to support Bush's never ending war?

Monday, September 24, 2007

It looks like there is trouble in the Republican Party. Carpetbagger Report:.....The pressure seems to be pushing the House Republican leadership to the breaking point. Burdened by retirements and weak poll numbers, Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and NRCC Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) are apparently fighting vehemently over the party’s 2008 strategy. Apparently, the two have been getting into shouting matches and Cole is threatening to quit.....

Ouch!Here in Ohio's 15th congressional district, the GOP hasn't even come up with a firm candidate to fill Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce's seat when she retires. Everyone has turned it down. The only Republican person to come forward is a person who is aligned with Ken Blackwell.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

The latest news about the Republican presidential candidates refusing to attend forums at a predominately African-American university and a Latino-sponsored event, really show that the GOP has moved to the right. Why have these white candidates stayed away from events geared toward minorities? Are these white men so arrogant and clueless that they think they don't need minorities? I think the this sign could be used for the Republican Party. (Source)The next time you see Giuliani, McCain, Thompson, Mitt, and the other GOP candidates, count how many minorities are in attendance. Shame on theRepublican Party for catering to racism.

Friday, September 21, 2007

While the President and the GOP take turns attacking Moveon.org insteadof working on an exit plan for Bush's Iraq war, more of our men and womenin Iraq are being killed and wounded. What message should we send to Bushand the spineless Republicans? There are three things you can do:(1) visit Moveon.org and contribute some money

Dozens of corporate executives who backed President George W. Bush for re-election in 2004, including some of his top fund-raisers, are now helping Democrats running for president.

John Mack, chief executive officer of Morgan Stanley, Rupert Murdoch, chairman of NewsCorp., and Terry Semel, chairman of Yahoo! Inc., are among some 60 executives writing checks to Democrats such as Senators Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, a review of U.S. Federal Election Commission records shows.......

Deficits, unending war, politics of distraction, sex scandals, failure to respond to Katrina,etc., etc. have made many people look for leadership in the Democratic Party.

Senate Republicans are playing games. Rather than support a troop withdrawal planor the Webb bill, they'd rather talk about an advertisement by Moveon.org. ThisRepublican ploy is called the politics of distraction and they've done it before this.In order to get attention away from the failing Iraq policies of the Bush administration,the Republicans had a vote on the Moveon.org ad about the "General Betray Us"advertisement on the floor of the Senate yesterday.

While the Republicans attempt to divert debate away from ending the war, moreAmericans are being killed in Iraq. According to ICasualties, 3794 Americans havedied in Bush's Iraq war. That means 3794 Americans will never again be able to hugtheir family members again.

With Americans being killed and wounded every single day, all the Republicans haveto offer is distraction, distraction, distraction.

Why can't the Senate and the House end Bush's Iraq war?Blame the Republicans.Reuters:Senate Republicans blocked a plan on Wednesday to give U.S. troops in Iraq more home leave, defeating a proposal widely seen as the Democrats' best near-term chance to change President George W. Bush's Iraq strategy. The measure to give troops as much rest time at home as they spent on their most recent tour overseas needed 60 votes to pass in the Democratic-controlled Senate; it received just 56 votes, with 44 against. It had been offered by Sen. Jim Webb, a decorated Vietnam veteran and former Navy secretary. The Democrat said U.S. troops are being "burned out" by repeated redeployments to Iraq, with tours of up to 15 months and less than a year off in between.....

Call/email your senator if his/her name appears in the the previous post (SEE BELOW). Let them know that you are aware that they are enabling this horrible war policy.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Time to get to the telephones and make some phone calls!NY Times:Senate Democrats fell short late this afternoon in what was seen as their best chance to shift the course of the war in Iraq, in a vote on a measure to require that troops get as much time at home as they spend overseas before being redeployed.

The vote on the measure, offered by Senator Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia, was 56 to 44 in favor — four less than the supporters needed to prevent a filibuster. The outcome was almost the same as that in a vote on the measure in July, when 56 senators voted in favor and 41 against....

......All the Democrats plus the independent Bernard Sanders of Vermont voted for the Webb proposal and were joined by six Republican senators: Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, John E. Sununu of New Hampshire, Norm Coleman of Minnesota, Gordon Smith of Oregon and Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, both of Maine. And Senator Tim Johnson, the South Dakota Democrat who was ill and absent in July, voted for the Webb measure today.....

Who were the Senators who don't have the backbone to help our troops? Who were Senators who are so controlled by the White House that they refuse to support the mental and physical lives of our military? I am so glad you asked:

Now, my friends, it is time to get to work and tell these senators that you are very unhappy with their vote.Just recently, Specter and Voinovich indicated that they were not pleased with the continuing war. However, when it comes time to vote Specter, Voinovich, Warner, and others, become spineless.

Remember last week when President Bush and General Petraeus said that everything was hunky-dorey in Iraq? They were wrong.UK Reuters:U.S. civilian officials have been barred from road travel in Iraq outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone because of possible attacks after a deadly shooting involving American security firm Blackwater....

....Iraq has said it would review the status of all security firms after what it called a "flagrant assault" by Blackwater contractors in which 11 people were killed while the firm was escorting an embassy convoy through Baghdad on Sunday.....

.....In a statement seen by Reuters and sent to Americans in Iraq, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad said the temporary ban on road travel was imposed to reassess security procedures.....

While it is unsafe for American diplomats to travel in Iraq, our Marines and soldiers are out there risking their lives every single day.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

USA Today:....A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday found essentially no shift in views on whether U.S. forces are likely to win the war — two-thirds predict they won't — and if the United States should set a firm timetable to remove troops.

In the days before Petraeus' appearances and President Bush's speech to the nation last week, 60% supported setting a timetable for withdrawal and sticking to it "regardless of what is going on in Iraq at the time."

Now 59% do....

No matter what Bush, Petraeus, and/or Republican right wingers say, Americans want the war over now. Our men and women are dying in Iraq, or returning home with lost limbs, and changed lives. Republican Rep. John Boehner may think that the blood of Americans is a "small price to pay" for Bush's Iraq war, but it is time to bring our military home.

Those members of the House and the Senate who refuse to support a timetable for withdrawal should go on record for the world to see.

>With the death of Republican Rep. Paul Gillmor, some Ohio GOPers are clearing the way for Bob Latta to be the party's nominee in the upcoming special election (BG News). Latta's father once represented the district and now, in keeping with Ohio Republican tradition, Latta will once again run for the seat (even though he lost to Gillmor several years ago by 27 votes).

>Looks like I won't be attending this function (Bucyrus Telegraph Forum):For tickets, contact any central committee or Republican women member or call 419-562-8922.The annual pork chop barbecue and auction sponsored by the Crawford County Central Committee and the Crawford County Republican Women, will be 5-7 p.m. Saturday at the Crawford County Conservation League, 3477 Ohio 98....What do you think is the average age of the members? By serving only pork chops, it automatically eliminates certain ethnic groups from joining this group. Isn't that interesting.

>It appears that Republican Rep. John Boehner is still being criticized for his comment that the deaths of Americans is a "small price to pay" for Iraq.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

The Horse's Mouth has the video and the text from Republican Rep. John Boehner's appearance on CNN. BLITZER: How much longer will U.S. taxpayers have to shell out $2 billion a week or $3 billion a week as some now are suggesting the cost is going to endure? The loss in blood, the Americans who are killed every month, how much longer do you think this commitment, this military commitment is going to require?

BOEHNER: I think General Petraeus outlined it pretty clearly. We’re making success. We need to firm up those successes. We need to continue our effort here because, Wolf, long term, the investment that we’re making today will be a small price if we’re able to stop al Qaeda here, if we’re able to stabilize the Middle East, it’s not only going to be a small price for the near future, but think about the future for our kids and their kids.

One Task Force Marne Soldier was killed and four were wounded by an improvised explosive device explosion during a dismounted patrol Sept. 14.(1)But John Boehner said, "It is a small price to pay."

The names of the dead and wounded are being withheld pending notification of the next of kin.But John Boehner said, "It is a small price to pay."

One hundred and twenty-two members of the Army, Navy, and Marines have died in Iraq of self-inflicted wounds. (2)But John Boehner said, "It is a small price to pay."

Thirty nine Americans have been killed in Iraq just in the first 16 days of September. (3)But John Boehner said, "It is a small price to pay."

One hundred and fifty-nine Ohioans have been killed in Iraq.But John Boehner said, "It is a small price to pay."

One thousand one hundred and forty-seven Ohioans have sustained wounds in Iraq.But John Boehner said, "It is a small price to pay."

According to ICasualties, 3,781 Americans have been killed in Iraq.But John Boehner said, "It is a small price to pay."

Call John Boehner's office and let him know that you are offended by his remarks.

Rudy Giuliani thinks he is an expert on all things related to terrorism. However, Giuliani skipped all his committee meetings for the Iraq Study Group (ISG) so that he could concentrate making millions and millions of dollars flying around the country on private jets to give speeches to groups. Obviously he didn't care enough to give his time to the ISG.

Here is an excerpt from a CNN report about Giuliani's travel requirements for his speaking engagements:

....Giuliani can command $100,000 for an event. That's how much the Student Speaker's Bureau at Oklahoma State University paid him last March. Plus, another $47,000 for a private jet.

In a contract obtained by CNN, Giuliani's travel requirements were quite specific. The private aircraft must be a Gulfstream IV or bigger. He didn't end up using them, but also requested in the contract were five hotel rooms, including one for Giuliani, that was to be a large two-bedroom nonsmoking suite with a king-size bed on an upper floor with a balcony and view if applicable........

....Years before Giuliani became a candidate, some of his speeches attracted attention, including one to the South Carolina Hospital Association in February 2005. After signing on, the event was changed to a fund-raiser for victims of the tsunami that hit Asia. Giuliani was reportedly paid $100,000 to speak and donated $20,000 of it to charity. A local Republican lawmaker protested.....

I almost forgot. Rudy's third wife, Judi, is a real piece of work. Vanity Fair had the details: ....Around the office of Giuliani Partners, it is said, Sunny Mindel, Giuliani's communications director, spoke of the need for providing an entire plane seat for Judith's "Baby Louis"—a reference to her Louis Vuitton handbag, which sits in solitary splendor on her travels....

Rudy and Judi sound like they deserve each other. Can you imagine those two in the White House???? Heaven forbid!!!!!!!

> Here is a little snippet on Fred Thompson from the New York Times:...His critics, already pointing to what they call Mr. Thompson’s skimpy Senate record, might find even more ammunition in his campaign schedule. In his second week as an officially declared candidate for the Republican nomination, Mr. Thompson has made a languid three-day swing through Florida ending Saturday with the candidate watching a football game in Gainesville. The pace has kept him on a jumbo air-conditioned bus far more often than he is actually campaigning.

Since Thursday morning, when the tour began, Mr. Thompson has made no more than three campaign stops a day, with long stretches in between. In recent spins through Iowa, he kept a similarly relaxed schedule. Mitt Romney, by comparison, often does six town-hall-style forums a day when in Iowa.....

...Next week, his schedule has no public events at all, limiting his appearances to fund-raisers in Florida, Tennessee and Texas....

You can't really expect Thompson, who is 65, to put in a full workload! (Thompson doesn't look a day over 85!) My gosh, the guy must need plenty of rest to keep up with a young wife and young children.

Fred sounds like the kind of person we don't need for president: too old, too lazy, and afraid to work. We are already suffering with a president who works out twice per day, takes a nap, and is intellectually lazy. We don't need another one.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

The Bush Administration is getting hit from all sides because of its failed policies.--- Here is a sampling:Hinessight is quoting Bloomberg.com on some info from former Federal Reserve Chief Alan Greenspan:

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan criticized President George W. Bush for pursuing an economic agenda driven by politics rather than sound policy, with little concern for future consequences. Soon after Bush took office, Greenspan wrote in a new book, it became evident that the Treasury secretary and White House economists would play secondary roles in decisions on taxes and other issues.....

And the Wall Street Journal has still more on the Greenspan book:.....In "The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World," published by Penguin Press, Mr. Greenspan criticizes both congressional Republicans and President George W. Bush for abandoning fiscal discipline.....

....Mr. Greenspan, who calls himself a "lifelong libertarian Republican," writes that he advised the White House to veto some bills to curb "out-of-control" spending while the Republicans controlled Congress. He says President Bush's failure to do so "was a major mistake." Republicans in Congress, he writes, "swapped principle for power. They ended up with neither. They deserved to lose."

Many economists say the Fed, by cutting short-term interest rates to 1% in mid-2003 and keeping them there for a year, helped foster a housing bubble that is now bursting....

Isn't it amazing that the Wall Street Journal chooses to run this article on a Saturday when its readership is much lower???

> There is a large Iraq war protest march planned for Washington, DC today. Tens of thousand of people are expected. It will be interesting to see which news networks cover the event.

> Why are Giuliani, McCain, and Romney staying away from a debate at a historically Black college?The NY Daily News has the story:.....Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney have all declined to participate in a Sept. 27 debate at Morgan State University, a historically black college in Maryland. Latecomer Fred Thompson still hasn't said yes or no to the debate, which will highlight second-tier GOP hopefuls.

The snubs say the candidates don't care about making a broad appeal to minority voters, charged debate moderator Tavis Smiley, who was slated to go on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" to make his case.

"No one should be elected President of this country in 2008 if they think that along the way they can ignore people of color," Smiley was quoted as saying this week....

Shame on those 3 GOP candidates.

> Rudy Giuliani has spoken out against Hillary Clinton's views on Iraq. However, someone should find out exactly what are Giuliani's views on Iraq. If elected President, how long does Giuliani intend to keep American troops in Iraq??

Friday, September 14, 2007

Howard Fineman appeared on MSNBC's Countdown this evening and he basically said that Americans will have a choice in 2008 between the "Stay the Course" Party (the GOP) and the "Withdrawal" Party (the Democrats). The clear distinction should make it easy for Americans. If you'd like to continue Bush's Iraq war for another 10 to 20 years, vote for a Republican. If, however, you think that it is time to withdraw the troops, vote for a Democrat for President. It is a simple choice.

> I didn't watch Bush's speech last night. Instead, I watched Iron Chef America. It is amazing the things that can be done with parmesan cheese.

> From the Congressional Quarterly:.....several Senate Republicans are backing a measure by Jim Webb, D-Va., that would require that troops be given at least as much time at home as they spend deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Webb said his measure, which netted 56 votes in July, including seven Republicans, now has the likely support of GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and George V. Voinovich of Ohio.

The amendment, which could be considered the week of Sept. 17, is significant because it would limit the number of troops the president could deploy. It would represent a bipartisan repudiation of Bush on the heels of his speech. The House passed a similar measure in August, and Bush threatened to veto it.

Some Senate Democrats believe their GOP colleagues are teetering on the edge of taking legislative action to hasten an end to the U.S. military role in Iraq.....

The word "teetering" should encourage those of us who want the troops home now. Perhaps with a little encouragement from all American citizens (telephone call, e-mails, etc.), we can get more Republicans to support measures like Senator Webb's.

> Do you know about Admiral William Fallon? He is the boss of General Petraeus. Fallon is not very pleased with Petraeus. Here is an excerpt from the Decatur Daily:

....According to his military superior, Admiral William Fallon, chief of the Central Command, the general (Petraeus) conducted a self-serving public relations campaign in favor of continuing the war....

...Adm. Fallon didn't think much of the general's (Petraeus) participation in the politics of war or his elevation to commanding general after the president won funding for the temporary troop increase. He called him a sycophant, or one who goes to great lengths to please people with influence.

Adm. Fallon, according to Pentagon sources, used salty language during their first meeting in Baghdad in March to assess his junior officer. He reportedly told Gen. Petraeus that he considered the general to be backside-kissing chicken manure...

Apparently, Admiral Fallon has been invited to testify at a Senate committee hearing. That should be interesting.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

In case you wanted to know: Although I try to stay up-to-date on the latest news, I won't be watching President Bush on TV tonight. I have heard all the same lies, buzzwords, catch phrases, and general b.s. from him previously. I don't have the stomach to watch him again. It will be the same old "stuff" just said on a different day.

Obviously, Mr. Boehner isn't paying the price of losing a son or daughter in Iraq. Mr. Boehner hasn't had to deal with the absence of a loved one who is serving in Bush's Iraq war. He is quite willing to let our military families pay the heavy price.

Contact Boehner and let him know that you are offended by his comments.

The most prominent figure in a revolt of Sunni sheiks against al-Qaida in Iraq was killed Thursday in an explosion near his home in Anbar province, police said.

Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha was leader of the Anbar Salvation Council, also known as the Anbar Awakening—an alliance of clans backing the Iraqi government and U.S. forces.

He was among a group of tribal leaders who met President Bush earlier this month at al-Asad Air Base in Anbar province......

Remember how Bush, Gen. Petraeus, and Ambassador Crocker kept saying that the Anbar province was an example of the success of the surge? If one third of the American deaths have occurred in the Anbar province, how can Bush say that the province is an example of success?

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Republican Rep. John Boehner needs to start reading some intelligence reports instead of watching the Republican propaganda channel, Fox News.The Hill:House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), in a conference call from Iraq, told reporters Wednesday that it is fair to draw a link from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to the current fight in Iraq because of the continued presence of al Qaeda and other Islamic extremists in the country.....

Boehner and the rest of the Republicans just memorize the talking points and repeat, repeat, repeat. Shame on them. A majority of Americans want the U.S. to start pulling troops out of Iraq asap. The Republican Party represents people who want to stay the course and keep your sons and daughters dying in Bush's war.The Democratic Party want us out of Iraq now.

Boomtown:Aspyr Media has announced it is developing and will publish the PC and Mac version of Guitar Hero III. You'll be able to play the game with a USB guitar, keyboard or a combination of mouse and keyboard. According to the game's producer Jay Gordon the PC version is expected to arrive in stores alongside console versions before Christmas....

> Someone save Britney Spears. Even though Spears is making approximately $700,000/month, the poor girl can't afford panties! It might be a good idea if Victoria's Secret or Hanes could hire Spears as a model and supply her with a lifetime supply of underwear.

> In advance of the next speech by George W. Bush, you can create his latest justification for going to and staying in Iraq. Visit the Magnetic War Rhetoric Kit.

> The next time you visit a public restroom, which politician comes to mind? Republican Sen. Larry Craig?

> It appears that Norm Coleman's campaign for re-election is having problems.The Blotter: A new Rasmussen poll points to more political trouble for Sen. Norm Coleman. The first-term Republican holds narrow leads over his two announced 2008 challengers, comedian Al Franken and attorney Mike Ciresi. According to the survey, which was conducted on September 6, Coleman holds a 46-41 advantage over Franken, while maintaining a 46-42 lead over Ciresi. With the margin of error at +/- 4.5 percent, it means both potential races are virtually even. As Joe Bodell points out over at Minnesota Monitor, Coleman's lead has steadily eroded throughout the year.....

> Bob Ney's former aide is in the news. Dispatch:The new life for Neil Volz is one of legal debts, cooperation with federal prosecutors and a $1,900-a-month job helping homeless veterans.

It is a far cry from his former life in six-figure jobs working for a congressman and a powerful Washington lobbyist -- a life that also included witnessing drunken tirades by a power-hungry lawmaker from Licking County.

Volz was chief of staff to Rep. Bob Ney, R-Heath, and later an aide to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, both of whom are in prison. This morning, Volz is to appear in U.S. District Court to learn whether his new life will help persuade Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle to let him escape jail time.....

Every week, we continue to get updates on the lives of the corrupt Republicans who brought such shame to the state of Ohio. It helps remind Ohioans that Republicans may not have provided jobs in the state but they did give us scandals.

Monday, September 10, 2007

The General Petraeus Show was carried on the various networks today. I will sum up what Petraeus said:1. The surge is working because someone told him it is.2. There are less insurgent attacks.3. Petraeus and Ambassador Corker said that the people in Iraq want a democratic federal government even though they have no experience, history, or knowledge of what it is.4. The Anbar province in Iraq is like Disney World. Everything is good, clean, and safe.5. There will be troops sent home. The 30,000 troops that will be sent home are the same 30,000 troops that were part of the surge.6. There is no chance for a political or diplomatic solution to the war because no one in the administration is working on it.

The surge is working? If you repeat it enough times, people will believe it is true, even if it is a lie.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that American deaths have increased since last year. After examining the numbers as posted at ICasualties, you too can see that Americans are dying in increasing numbers:

How does an increase in deaths of American soldiers and Marines display success in the eyes of this administration and Gen. Petraeus? The rising American deaths is a catastrophe, but this administration will not lift one finger to bring all the troops home. The Iraq mess will be dumped into the lap of the next President.

If we remain silent, our elected officials will assume that we believe this propaganda. Call the offices of your Senators and Representative and tell them you want the troops home now.

Don't waste your time listening to the b.s. that will be coming out of Gen. Petraeus' mouth today. He is only saying what he has been told to say. Instead, watch two documentaries.

Yesterday, my husband and I got a double dose of information on Iraq. By the end of the day, we were exhausted with the weight of the depressing material we had seen.

In the afternoon, we saw No End In Sight, a documentary about Iraq by Charles Ferguson. (You can see the movie trailer here.) Even though we were aware of all of the things that had happened on the lead up to the war, there were many details in the film that just made you plain angry. The screw ups by George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condeleeza Rice, Paul Bremer, and the rest of the twits, make you want to go somewhere and scream. Here are some of the well documented items in the movie:

>The National Intelligence Reports that were never read by Bush, but he offered his opinion about them.>There was a plan to reconstitute the Iraqi army ( Over 100,000 Iraqi men were ready to help rebuild Iraq.), but Paul Bremer decided to ignore the work of Jay Garner and others. Bremer disbanded the Iraqi army.>Rumsfeld's disastrous decisions have cost us thousands of American lives.>The failure of Rumsfeld to listen to people who were on the ground in Iraq created anarchy.Etc. Etc. Etc.

.....Bracketed by a pair of press-conference quotes from Donald Rumsfeld—the first smugly declaring his pride in the "first war of the 21st century," the second defensively claiming, "I don't do quagmires"—the doc scarcely acknowledges the fraudulent justification and fundamental immorality of the Iraq invasion, though A Pretext for War author James Bamford does show up to say, "I don't know what these [Bush administration officials] were smoking, but it must have been very good." Focusing on the war itself, Ferguson is chiefly interested in compiling a filmed dossier of incompetence—not so much to argue that the war could've been won and won early, but to suggest that the magnitude of arrogant irresponsibility will carry aftershocks as far into the future as the mind can imagine. No end, indeed. The title seems to refer not to the interminable war, but to the irreversible stain on America's reputation. Ferguson's ultimate image of urban Iraq in flames, swarming with well-armed insurgents, is a picture of hell, and not one that's only burning Over There....

Go see No End In Sight and you'll thank me for it.

>> Last night we watched Alive Stories on HBO. James Gandolfini talked to 10 wounded Iraq vets. It was so difficult to go to sleep with the voices and images of those young men and women resonating in my head. The people to blame for these injuries and deaths are none other than Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice/Wolfowitz and the rest of their propaganda preachers.

You can watch the film on HBO from September 9-16 or online. I want to thank HBO, James Gandolfini, and the veterans for helping get this film on TV. I only wish that our elected officials watch it.

Saturday, September 08, 2007

Old Fred Thompson had some comments about people who oppose Bush's Iraq war:(Raw Story)

In his first interview since declaring his presidential candidacy, Fred Thompson repeatedly warned against the perils of a "weak and divided" nation, raised the specter of unspecified terrorists with suitcase bombs, and expressed a willingness to employ nuclear weapons against Iran.

"If you're politically committed against this war and to do something to further harm the president, the way the Democrats seem to be in Congress, then anything [in the Petraeus Report] that's a mixed message is going to be seized upon in a negative way," Thompson told Fox News on Thursday.

"If we look weak and divided in this country, we're going to pay a heavy price for it in the future," he went on. "We're living in the era of the suitcase bomb. And they're not going to go away. They're here now, they're armed and dangerous, and they're trying to get weapons of mass destruction."

We should ask some questions here:Would Fred Thompson do something to cut back on dissent?Does Fred Thompson think that dissent is unpatriotic?Would Fred Thompson punish those who voice opposition to the war?

Here is another gem from Fred (NY Daily News):.....Fred Thompson puzzled Iowans yesterday by insisting an Al Qaeda smoking ban was one reason freedom-loving Iraqis bolted to the U.S. side.

"They said, 'You gotta quit smoking,'" Thompson explained to a questioner asking about progress in Iraq during a town hall-style meeting.

Thompson said the smoking ban and terror tactics Al Qaeda used to oppress women and intimidate local leaders pushed tribes in western Anbar Province to support U.S. troops.

But Thompson's tale of a smokers' revolt baffled some in the audience of about 150....

Huh? Where the hell did get that? Smoking ban?

If you haven't visited Fred Thompson's home page you'll want to know that it is really short on specifics. Thompson's campaign staff has been sitting around for months while others have been out campaigning.What are Fred's beliefs about Social Security (since he is eligible for it)?Does Fred support the No Child Left Behind Act?Does Fred think that a draft would be a way to replenish the military?

These and other questions should be asked because Americans are not impressed with a folksy approach to solving problems. The world is a dangerous place and we need someone with serious plans and ideas to get things done. We've can see the failures of the presidency of George W. Bush and we don't need to go down that road again.

Friday, September 07, 2007

* Just when you thought there wouldn't be any additional scandals and indictments from the previous Republican state administration, you read the Dispatch:

The manager of an investment that lost $216 million for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation tried to cover up that he previously had been fired from two banks after financial losses, authorities say.

In fact, before he was hired to manage bureau money, Mark D. Lay of MDL Capital Management in Pittsburgh lost nearly $1 million in foreign currency trading at Mellon Bank and nearly $800,000 at PNC Bank during a span of 14 months in 1988 and '89, according to a federal court filing......

....As a result, Lay is expected to face an additional fraud charge today in an indictment to replace the four-count federal indictment filed against him in June....

Here is the concluding paragraph of the Dispatch article, which I have highlighted:

...Lay is among 21 people to face charges so far in a sweeping investigation that started with revelations in 2005 that the bureau invested $50 million in a rare-coin investment managed by Thomas W. Noe.

Taft and his corrupt Republican administration have been out of office for nearly nine months but we continue to hear about the dirty deeds of those employed by Taft and his cronies. Ohioans are paying the price for an administration that concentrated more on getting their friends lucrative contracts than helping Ohioans find jobs. It is no wonder that Gov. Ted Strickland's, a Democrat, approval rating is so high, even among Republicans.

* Just a few days ago, President Bush said that the Anbar Province in Iraq showed the success of the surge (escalation). However, just like everything coming out from this administration about this war, it was not the truth.

Four U.S. Marines were killed in fighting in Anbar province, and three soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in northern Iraq, the military said Friday.

The four Marines assigned to Multi National Force _ West were killed Thursday in combat in Anbar, a predominantly Sunni province west of Baghdad that has seen a recent drop in violence, according to a statement.

Three Task Force Lightning soldiers also were killed Thursday when a bomb exploded near their vehicle in the northern Ninevah province, the military said separately......

I'm unsure how Bush and his administration measure success. When you look at a comparison of U.S. deaths in Iraq by month, it does not appear that Americans are dying in smaller numbers. One American death is too much and almost 4,000 American military deaths in Bush's Iraq war is awful. Here is a chart provided by ICasualties:

US Deaths By Month:

Year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

2003

0

0

65

74

37

30

48

35

31

44

82

40

2004

47

20

52

135

80

42

54

66

80

64

137

72

2005

107

58

35

52

80

78

54

85

49

96

84

68

2006

62

55

31

76

69

61

43

65

72

106

70

112

2007

83

81

81

104

126

101

79

84

18

0

0

0

When you compare January-August 2006 to January-August 2007, there were more fatalities in 2007 for each of the same months.

It is apparent that the Bush administration is just making up stuff as they go along just so they can continue to sell their war.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

......Democrats lead in 11 of 12 prospective presidential matchups in this key battleground state, a new Quinnipiac Poll shows.

Leading the pack is New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, who has jumped to a 7-point lead over her nearest competitor, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Guiliani.....

......But at this point it almost doesn't matter which Dem wins the nomination, because they all top virtually every GOP comer: Giuliani, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, Arizona Sen. John McCain or former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney....

It is apparent that the Republican corruption scandals of the last few years have left Ohioans with a sour taste with regard to the GOP. Many Ohioans are just tired of the money grubbing, scandal-prone, job-destroying Republicans and are staying away from the party that brought us 'Coingate' and Bob Ney and Bob Taft and ethics problems. Ohioans love Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland (he has a 54% approval rate among Republicans!) and are looking forward to better days.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

“I'm playing for October-November," Mr. Bush said to Draper. That, evidently, is the time during which, he thinks he can sell us the real plan, which is “to get us in a position where the presidential candidates will be comfortable about sustaining a presence."

Comfortable, that is, with saying about Iraq, again quoting the President, “stay... longer."

And there it is. We've caught you. Your goal is not to bring some troops home, maybe, if we let you have your way now. Your goal is not to set the stage for eventual withdrawal. You are, to use your own disrespectful, tone-deaf word, playing at getting the next Republican nominee to agree to jump into this bottomless pit with you, and take us with him, as we stay in Iraq for another year, and another, and another, and and on.....

All that Bush is doing is trying to position everything so that a Republican presidential candidate will be in a favorable place, win election, and agree to continue Bush's Iraq war. Isn't nice to know that Bush is doing things in Iraq to make it good for Republican presidential candidates instead of the troops and their families?

I think that with this in mind, there should be a campaign sign that says:

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Even though that headline may have gotten your attention, it is false. President Bush is now in Australia after his surprise visit to Iraq. Bloomberg has updates on Bush's visit to Australia:

Australian police filed a case in the New South Wales Supreme Court to prevent a coalition of protesters from rallying against U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to the nation.

The case will be heard at 7 a.m. tomorrow Sydney time, said Alex Bainbridge, a spokesman for the Stop Bush Coalition, who was named in the case. Bush arrives in the Australian capital tonight to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings being hosted by Prime Minister John Howard. The main protest is planned for Sept. 8.....

..... About 52 percent of 1,100 Australians surveyed by the Galaxy Poll for the Medical Association for the Prevention of War said Bush is the worst president in U.S. history.....

It appears that Australians have also recognized Bush's failed presidency.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans feel President George W. Bush was too eager to wage war in Iraq and is handling the conflict there badly, a poll released Tuesday suggested....

....The poll released Tuesday, as General David Petraeus and US ambassador to Baghdad Ryan Crocker prepared to present a report to Congress on Iraq, also showed that two-thirds of Americans gave Bush bad marks for his handling of the conflict over the past few months.....

Despite Bush's optimistic view that everything in Iraq is hunky-dory, violence and death are everyday events in Iraq. Reuters:

A U.S. Congressional report on Tuesday said "violence remains high" in Iraq, with little political progress and mixed results on security a day after President George W. Bush visited Anbar province and struck an upbeat tone.

The independent Government Accountability Office said Iraq had failed to meet 11 of 18 political and military goals set by Congress last May, such as reducing sectarian violence and passing laws on oil revenue sharing. Iraq met three benchmarks and partially met another four.....

....Many defense experts say the additional U.S. troops will have to begin leaving Iraq by spring anyway unless the Bush administration extends their tours of duty over 15 months....

President Bush has created a major mess in Iraq.

**Update: Michigan had dropped out of the latest football poll. See ESPN for more info.

Do you remember when President Bush kept saying that we'd hear results in September about his war in Iraq when the Petraeus report would be released? Now the carrot has moved again.Reuters:The next three to four months will be vital to determine if violence in Iraq can be cut further and security maintained with fewer American troops, the number two U.S. military commander in Iraq said on Tuesday.

Lieutenant-General Raymond Odierno said the last week had seen the lowest number of violent incidents against civilians and security forces across Iraq in the past 15 months.

U.S. President George W. Bush, on a surprise visit to Iraq, raised the prospect of troop cuts after meeting top commanders at a desert air base in western Anbar province on Monday......

There will be no troop cuts. This is Bush's way to get attention. He has no plans to pull troops out of Iraq unless he is forced. If Bush gets any opposition from Congress, he'll blame the Democratic controlled House and Senate and declare that they don't support the troops. In reality, Bush doesn't support the troops. He has pushed them and pushed them until many of them are at breaking points.

The Petraeus Report will be a work of fiction. After the White House's political appointees, speech writers, and interns actually write the report, General Petraeus will get to read it. The b.s. coming from the White House about the success of the Iraq war is something that they are making up even as you read this. These lies are no different than the previous lies. Now the lies have been placed within a published document called the 'Petraeus Report.'

Monday, September 03, 2007

President Bush continues to say the same stuff over and and over again about Iraq to the American people. Unfortunately, Americans have just turned him off because they've heard him repeat his same message before and we're no longer interested in his ridiculous "stay the course" routine. Even if he calls it something else, it is still "stay the course."

Iran: Now Bush and the Pentagon have drawn up plans to attack Iran. It doesn't matter to Bush that our military is stretched to the breaking point. It doesn't matter to Bush that our men and women in uniform are enduring their 3rd and 4th tours of duty. It doesn't matter to Bush that families are putting up with incredible demands and pressures because of separation and stress. It doesn't matter to Bush that the American people are tired of the lies, the debt, and the overall course of our nation.

THE Pentagon has drawn up plans for massive airstrikes against 1,200 targets in Iran, designed to annihilate the Iranians’ military capability in three days, according to a national security expert.

Alexis Debat, director of terrorism and national security at the Nixon Center, said last week that US military planners were not preparing for “pinprick strikes” against Iran’s nuclear facilities. “They’re about taking out the entire Iranian military,” he said....

......One Washington source said the “temperature was rising” inside the administration. Bush was “sending a message to a number of audiences”, he said � to the Iranians and to members of the United Nations security council who are trying to weaken a tough third resolution on sanctions against Iran for flouting a UN ban on uranium enrichment....

Doesn't that just make you feel awful? We need to put pressure on the House of Representatives and the Senate and tell our elected officials to stop this war madness.